Financing Marine Conservation: A Menu of Options

This guide describes over 30 mechanisms for financing the conservation of marine biodiversity, both within and outside of MPAs. Its main purpose is to familiarize conservation professionals i.e., the managers and staff of government conservation agencies, international donors, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) with a menu of options for financing the conservation of marine and coastal biodiversity. A number of economic incentive mechanisms for marine conservation (as contrasted with revenue-raising mechanisms) are also presented in section 5 (on Real Estate and Development Rights) and section 6 (on Fishing Industry Revenues). Each section provides a description of the financing mechanism and examples showing how the mechanism has been used to finance marine conservation. In some cases, even though a mechanism may have only been used to finance terrestrial conservation, it has been included in this guide because of its potential to also serve as a new source of funding for marine conservation. This guide is not intended to provide detailed instructions on how to establish and implement each of the different conservation financing mechanisms. Instead references are provided at the end of each section for sources of additional information about each of the mechanisms described. Citations to specific references are also included in the text in parentheses

Assessment of Natural Resources Use for Sustainable Development - DPSIR Framework for Case Studies in Portsmouth and Thames Gateway, U.K.

This chapter reports on the uses of the DPSIR framework to assess the sustainability of the intertidal environments within the two UK case study areas, Portsmouth and Thames Gateway. It focuses on statutory conservation areas dominated by intertidal habitats. Two are located in Portsmouth (Portsmouth and Langstone Harbours) and four in the Thames Gateway (Benfleet Marshes, South Thames Estuary, Medway Estuary and the Swale in the Thames Gateway). Based on the reduction of a number of pressures and impacts observed in recent decades and the improvement of overall environmental quality, all six SSSIs are considered to be sustainable in the short and medium term. In the future, it is possible that the impacts of climate change, especially sea-level rise, might result in further reduction in the area and/or quality of intertidal habitats. Further integration between conservation and planning objectives (both for urban development and management of flood risk) at local level is needed to support the long-term sustainability of intertidal habitats

Values of inland fisheries in the Mekong river basin

Asia has the most productive inland fisheries in the world. The fishery sector contributes significantly to the national economies of the region. Inland fisheries also improve food security by providing a source of protein and a livelihood for millions of people in this part of the world, especially the rural poor. The purpose of this report is to provide information on the biological, economic, social and cultural values of river fisheries in the Lower Mekong Basin, and to identify the main impacts of environmental changes on these values. A review of fisheries-related literature, including project reports and gray literature, was undertaken. More than 800 documents were reviewed, and original information was extracted from 270 of them. The analysis identified a large number of localized studies leading to generic conclusions. The report addresses the basin wide issues and studies. It is then organized by nation, namely, the Chinese province of Yunnan, then Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It first gives an overview of each country’s economic, fisheries and social situation, then details the values documented for river fisheries in each country

Ocean Industries and Marine Planning

Marine planning (marine spatial planning/MSP) is under development as a viable tool to address potential user conflicts in the oceans and allow for better management of ocean uses and resources. With marine planning developing in many parts of the world, especially the E.U., U.S. and Australia, it is important for industry to be part of the creation of a shared vision for a marine area, the discussion regarding whether or not to pursue a planning or other improved management effort, and the necessary elements (e.g., outreach, funding, boundaries) of such an effort. World Ocean Council, with funding from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, undertook a project to inform and, as appropriate, engage a diverse range of ocean industries on marine planning and encourage the use of credible science and risk assessment. With information gathered through literature reviews, case studies, interviews, and outreach, this paper presents potential benefits of and concerns regarding marine planning from the ocean business perspective. It also offers considerations for industry to consider its role in marine planning and for planners on how and why to engage the private sector

Anatomy and Sequence Architecture of the early Post-Rift in the Neuquén Basin (Argentina): A Response to Physiography and Relative Sea-level Changes

A detailed architectural and sequence stratigraphic analysis was carried out in the early-post-rift succession of central Neuque´n Basin (Middle Jurassic Cuyo Group), integrating outcrop and subsurface information from a 3,000 km2 area. Sedimentary facies analysis allowed the definition of six marine facies associations, which are grouped in two main depositional systems. During the late Toarcian to early Bathonian a storm- and wave-dominated shoreface to offshore system was developed. This is overlain by a late Bathonian–early Callovian fluvio-deltaic depositional system. The sequence stratigraphic analysis of this succession identified parasequences limited by marine flooding surfaces with little evidence of erosion. Parasequences could be grouped into four parasequence sets that show the evolution of the depositional systems and can be interpreted in terms of shoreline trajectories. In this sense, a log-term transgressive event defined by a complicated retrogradational stacking pattern and spanning for almost 10 My is identified for the older deposits. This succession is eventually replaced by a progradational unit that represents highstand conditions. The Cuyo succession identified in this part of the basin is completed by the development of a regressive surface and the onset of a deltaic depositional system with no parasequence development but indicating an abrupt basinward facies shift. The long-term transgression that dominates the early post-rift succession in this part of the basin is interpreted to represent a period of sustained accommodation creation produced by the combination of thermal subsidence, differential compaction of syn-rift deposits, and eustatic rise under a relatively low sediment supply. Changes in the stacking pattern of retrogradational parasequence sets are thought to be produced by changes in the bathymetry of the topography being flooded, which is a relic of a complex array of footwalls and shoulders generated during the syn-rift stage. Regional changes in thickness and timing for the early post-rift succession could be therefore the result of the relatively passive infill of an inherited topography of the syn-rift, suggesting that most of the accommodation was already created before the onset of the long-term transgressive trend that characterizes the post-rift succession in this part of the basin. The Cuyo Group succession reported here reflects the complexity in terms of depositional styles, sequence stratigraphic patterns, and controls that can be expected during the early-post rift infill of syn-rift structural depressions. Therefore, the results of this study can provide useful lessons for post-rift systems having prolific hydrocarbon production worldwide (e.g., in the Northern North Sea, Norwegian Sea, Thailand, and Argentina and Chile).Fil: Veiga, Gonzalo Diego. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Geológicas. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Centro de Investigaciones Geológicas; ArgentinaFil: Schwarz, Ernesto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Geológicas. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Centro de Investigaciones Geológicas; ArgentinaFil: Spalletti, Luis Antonio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Geológicas. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Centro de Investigaciones Geológicas; ArgentinaFil: Massaferro, Jose L. YPF S.A; Argentin

Calling All Funders: The Role of Philanthropy in Fighting Climate Change

This is the fourth in a series of CEGN briefing papers providing an overview of key Canadian environmental issues, intended to provide background information on the issue and serve as a starting point for discussion on strategic approaches and collaboration on environmental grantmaking

Electrical Components for Marine Renewable Energy Arrays: A Techno-Economic Review

This paper presents a review of the main electrical components that are expected to be present in marine renewable energy arrays. The review is put in context by appraising the current needs of the industry and identifying the key components required in both device and array-scale developments. For each component, electrical, mechanical and cost considerations are discussed; with quantitative data collected during the review made freely available for use by the community via an open access online repository. This data collection updates previous research and addresses gaps specific to emerging offshore technologies, such as marine and floating wind, and provides a comprehensive resource for the techno-economic assessment of offshore energy arrays

The Regulation of Tidal Energy Development Off Nova Scotia: Navigating Foggy Waters

The vast potential for tidal power development in the Bay of Fundy region of the Atlantic coast has been recognized for decades. At the same time, finding an effective way to harness this power in a cost effective, sustainable and environmentally responsible manner has been an ongoing challenge. In the 1980s, barrage based tidal power technology was piloted in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. It was found to be unsuitable from both environmental and cost perspectives. More recently, pilot projects underway around the world are using new, open turbine technology that is expected to significantly reduce cost and environmental impact. This technology operates on principles similar to a wind turbine, except it is anchored on the seabed in tidal waters. These turbines are able to take advantage of flows of water in both directions, and offer power in predictable intervals during most of the tidal cycle. While this technology is still in the early stages of commercialization, there are pilot projects underway around the world. As a result, the question of how to make decisions on whether, where and under what conditions to permit tidal power development in regions such as the Bay of Fundy have arisen again. The Bay of Fundy finds itself in a region of Canada that has seen the introduction of a number of major new industries over the past few decades. Included in this list are pulp and paper, aquaculture, and, most recently, offshore oil and gas facilities. Decisions on how to regulate these industries were generally reactive and sometimes short-sighted. Since the arrival of these industries, there has been considerable change in the understanding of how governments can make responsible decisions in the best long term interest of their citizens. The pending arrival of tidal power development in Nova Scotia provides an opportunity to implement the lessons learned, to apply appropriate governance models to see through the fog, and to maximize long term benefits to the region. The following article seeks to make the case for principled governance of resource based industries such as tidal power. The primary aim is to offer an overview of the international, constitutional and legislative context and to briefly illustrate the benefits of a principled, proactive approach. A detailed design of the proposed governance regime, strategic assessment and integrated planning processes are left for follow-up research. The purpose here is to lay the foundation for such further work. The article therefore considers issues related to the governance of this new development opportunity by first identifying, in Parts One and Two, the international and constitutional context within which any governance regime for the Bay of Fundy would exist. Parts Three and Four then briefly describe key existing legislative and regulatory systems in place in Nova Scotia that would apply to tidal power development projects. Experiences in other jurisdictions are assessed in Part Five, both with respect to tidal power and for other comparable offshore developments, such as wind. Within this overall context, Part 6 of the article then offers some preliminary thoughts on the essential elements of a suitable governance regime

The Safe and Efficient Development of Offshore Transboundary Hydrocarbons: Best Practices from the North Sea and Their Application to the Gulf of Mexico

Offshore hydrocarbon resources have been developed for many decades, and with technology improvements, many fields which were once impossible to develop, are now economically and technologically feasible. This has led to a growing difficulty in determining the legislative and regulatory framework for resources that straddle the recognized borders between two states. In this paper, we examine a successful framework agreement governing the transboundary resources between the United Kingdom (“U.K.”) and Norway in the North Sea, and the agreement between the United States and Mexico governing the Gulf of Mexico. Following the 2013 Energy Reform, the Mexican energy sector has been revitalized, leading to greater exploration, development, and production than ever before. This means that in the near future transboundary resources may be licensed for production, bringing the issues highlighted in this paper to the attention of multiple government and international entities. This paper seeks to recommend improvements to the transboundary framework in the Gulf of Mexico based on the successful framework agreement utilized in the North Sea. This paper begins by introducing international law for offshore resources in Part II. Part III discusses the offshore regulatory regimes in the U.K. and Norway, analyzing how the two states have successfully used bilateral agreements to facilitate cooperation regarding effective exploitation and apportionment of costs from cross-boundary offshore oil and gas projects in the North Sea. Part IV discusses the offshore regulatory regimes in the United States and Mexico and analyzes the current transboundary agreement in place for the Gulf of Mexico. Part V compares the transboundary agreement governing the North Sea and the same governing the Gulf of Mexico. We highlight the major differences in the agreements and suggest changes to the Gulf of Mexico agreement based on the successful North Sea agreement. Finally, this paper concludes and provides key policy recommendations to improve the rules and regulations surrounding the exploitation of transboundary hydrocarbons in the Gulf of Mexico